Cascade Rookie of the Year: Kieran McArdle

BOSTON (August 12, 2014)- Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, announced today that Florida Launch attackman Kieran McArdle has been named 2014 Cascade Rookie of the Year, as voted by MLL coaches and general managers.

The 2014 rookie class was full of talent, but McArdle’s incredible season gave him the edge. Earning 11 first place votes, McArdle was the obvious choice for the Rookie of the Year title. Behind McArdle, Rochester attackman Jordan Wolf finished second with 36 points, and Lizards’ rookie defenseman Joe Fletcher came in third with 22 points.

“This has been a great learning experience,” said McArdle. “It is an amazing feeling to win this award. It was definitely a goal coming in to the season, and it’s a huge honor considering all the rookies who made an impact on their teams this year.”

Acquired, from St. John’s University, by the Florida Launch with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft, McArdle entered the league ready to perform. Playing in 12 regular season games, the two-time BIG EAST Attackman of the Year, helped make the 2014 season a special inaugural year for the Launch. Totaling 49 points (34 goals and 15 assists); McArdle set the records for Points and Goals by a Rookie.

“I wasn’t aware of the records in points and goals coming into the season, but I knew that in order to be considered for Rookie of the Year I would have to perform at a high level and come close to setting records,” said McArdle.

McArdle was twice named the Cascade Rookie of the Week for his outstanding play. In Week 4, he earned the title in his second game with the Launch after posting a six-point performance in the team’s victory over the Chesapeake Bayhawks. His second Rookie of the week honor came in Week 12, where McArdle totaled 10 points—a season high—with five goals and five assists as Florida defeated Boston. Both games serve as prime examples of why McArdle deserved the award; in both games, he played an important role in generating offense as he fought some of the top defenders in the league.

Although McArdle and the Launch won’t be appearing in the post season, be sure to check out both semifinals games on CBS Sports Network on Saturday, August 16. At 3:00 p.m. you can watch the Rochester Rattlers host the Ohio Machine, and at 5:30 p.m. watch as the New York Lizards travel to Denver to take on the Outlaws.

The winners of the two semifinals will face off in the 2014 MLL Championship Game on Saturday, August 23, at 7 p.m. from Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga. Tickets for the game start at only $20 and can be found HERE.

2014 Cascade Rookie of the Year Voting Results

The Cascade Rookie of the Year is determined based on the total number of points each rookie receives. Every vote is assigned a point total, with first place receiving five points, second place receiving three points and third place receiving one point.